When we arrived in McCaysville/Copperhill we ate lunch at The Copper Grill before checking out the shops and snacked on ice cream cones before boarding the train. Honestly, we were more impressed with the town of Blue Ridge, and wish we had more time to explore the boutiques and restaurants there. We promised ourselves to make a trip back when we're in Helen, Georgia for Christmas.
Happy Birthday to my main squeeze! Connor never asks for anything, and always agrees to tag along on my adventures, so I wanted to plan something really special for his birthday. I thought a scenic train ride through the Blue Ridge mountains would be a fun way for Con to relive his childhood love of trains and enjoy the fall foliage. We drove to Blue Ridge, Georgia on Sunday morning to pick up our tickets and board the train by Noon. The trip is four hours round trip; an hour ride to the towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee, two hours to eat lunch and explore, and then an hour ride back to Blue Ridge. I was so glad I booked the open car tickets because the weather was perfect and we were able to look out at the views of trees, farms, and the Ocochee River. When we arrived in McCaysville/Copperhill we ate lunch at The Copper Grill before checking out the shops and snacked on ice cream cones before boarding the train. Honestly, we were more impressed with the town of Blue Ridge, and wish we had more time to explore the boutiques and restaurants there. We promised ourselves to make a trip back when we're in Helen, Georgia for Christmas. To finish the birthday celebrations we had Connor's family over to the house for pizza and cake. This year I made a Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake for Connor and it was a huge hit! It's no secret my husband is my favorite person in the world, and I love when we get the chance to celebrate him. I hope your 24th year is the best one yet, C-Mac!
0 Comments
It's still a work in progress, but I'm ready to share our nearly complete guest bedroom. I've nicknamed it the "hand-me-down" room because all of the furniture in here was either given to us or thrifted. This room is located in the back of our house, down the hall from our master and the bathroom. The basic updates in here were wallpaper and curtain removal, replacing the light fixture, and a fresh coat of paint. The twin beds were mine when I was a little girl, and a fresh coat of red paint updated the look. My hope chest, passed down from my Grandma, doubles as a night stand. The dresser also belongs to my grandma, and I picked up the matching floor mirror at a close-out sale. The thrifted pieces in this room are the old windows from Habitat for Humanity Resale Store and the unique bench I fell in love with at an estate sale. All of the accessories have been snagged from clearance racks over the last year. I'm still looking for an area rug to go under the beds and a luggage rack for guests to use, but since the room isn't used every day I am happy to take my time decorating to make it exactly how I want it. This room is so warm and cozy. Our cats love to nap in here because they can watch the bird feeder in the back yard. If I haven't seen them in a couple hours I can usually find them on the foot of the beds. I am really excited to start using this room when we have company, just remember we have to share a bathroom!
There's a nip in the air this morning in Fountain Inn! Since the seasons have changed we have visited new places and checked out fun events all over the upstate. It seems like Fall is always busy, but this year is extra full between church, football, and family gatherings. At the end of September we attended Indie Craft Parade in Greenville. This was our third year shopping the craft show, and we also love the Holiday Fair put on in December by the same folks. There's everything from coffee to handmade clothing for sale, and it's all by makers from the South. I snatched up some early Christmas gifts, and Connor was happy to just walk around with me and enjoy King of Pops. Later that day we went to Farm Fresh Fair at The Farm at Rabon Creek to check out the antiques and vintage treasures, food, and music. This was our first trip to the farm and we will definitely go back next year! To close out the weekend we met my in-laws at Pleasant Ridge County Park for a picnic and some light hiking. We come to this park two or three times a year for picnics because it's always so clean and there are plenty of tables. There is a really nice shelter that can be reserved, and it's a stones throw away from Table Rock State Park and Aunt Sue's Country Corner ice cream parlor on Highway 11. The past couple Saturdays have been spent with Capstone, the church Connor and I joined back in the spring. It took us over 6 months to settle down with a church, but when we found the right home for us we just knew. We've enjoyed getting to know other young couples and becoming more involved in our community. A few weeks ago I attended a Fall Women's Retreat with Capstone and Presbyterian Fellowship of Fountain Inn. We enjoyed a Saturday morning full of worship and fellowship. After hearing from Claire Ripley, we broke out into groups (art, journaling, nature walk, missions) and then finished out the retreat with a delicious lunch catered by Sweet Catherine's. I left feeling so refreshed and made a few new friends, too! I think it's so great that two churches can come together to host events and open them up to all women in our community. Last Saturday, our church partnered with two other local churches to host the second annual Haiti Gospel Fund Dinner at the Fountain Inn Farmers Market. We raised over $10,000 in a single night for Haiti, and I am so proud to have played a tiny part in it. We enjoyed BBQ from Carolina Growers Group, learned more about what our teams are doing in Haiti, and browsed through raffle baskets in the museum. Learn more about Haiti Gospel Fund here. On October 1st we participated in the 14th Annual Lauren's Hope 5k. I really need to write a post just about the LHF and their strides in Sanfilippo Syndrome research, but the short of it is that Lauren is Connor's first cousin. When she was a little girl she was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome, and passed away when Connor and I were in the ninth grade. Getting to participate in the race this year was so special, and to witness how Connor's whole family comes together to help plan and run the event is inspiring. I hope you'll read more about the foundation here, and consider registering for the race next October! After we got our sweat on, we walked through Aunt Het Day downtown and picked through a couple yard sales by our house. It made my heart so happy to see the streets of Fountain Inn so full! The Sunday after the race we were all exhausted, so we slept in late and drove to the mountains with Connor's parents and Honey. We stopped in Travelers Rest to grab lunch at Whistle Stop, then picked apples and pumpkins in Hendersonville, NC at Justus Orchard and Grandad's Apples N' Such. Both farms were crowded with families enjoying the crisp air and changing leaves. Apple cider doughnuts are an absolute favorite in this family so it was a day well spent for sure. We've got the bungalow decorated in pumpkins indoors and out, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the apple and cinnamon scents of the season! I recently picked up some soy wax melts by Burt's Bees and they smell so yummy. Fall has already been so fruitful, and we have more fun planned for Connor's upcoming birthday and a Friendsgiving celebration with some of our favorites from Clemson. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galations 6:9
|
Categories
All
AuthorDusti McCraw Archives
December 2022
|